Trailer vehicle dolly



0d 24, l939 P. ARMINGTON ET Al. 2,177,236

' TRAILER VEHICLE DoLLY Filed March 6v, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VENTORS ARTHUR P. ARMINGTON. WALTER F. DOUBLE.

24# 1939. A. P. ARMINGTON Er A1. 2,177,235

' TRILER VEHICLE DOLLY Filed March 6, 1957 3 Sheets-Sheet 2 WALTER EDOUBLE. 3 maar, Hylgygama TTORNEYS.

0d- 24, 1939. A. P. ARMINGTON r-:T AL. 2,177,236

TRAILERv VEHICLE DOLLY 'Filed March 6, 1937 5 Sh'eets-Sheet 3 INVENTORS.ARTHUR n AnmNoroN. WALTER F. DOUBLE.

" ATTORNEYS'.

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Patented Oct. 24, 1939 TRAILER VEHICLE DOLLY Arthur P. Armington,Willoughby, and Walter F.

Double, Wicklie, Ohio; Katherine Stewart Armington, exccutrix of saidArthur P. Armington, deceased, assignors to The Euclid Road MachineryCompany, Euclid, Ohio, a corporation of Ohio A v.Application March 6,1937, Serial No. 129,436

2 Claims.

. This invention relates to dolly means for a trauer vehicle, which maybe such as is employed `in highway transportation coupled to a tractoror other draft vehicle, the trailer having a pair of 5 rear wheels andhaving its front end supported by the tractor, so as to form therewith a6wheel mobile unit `articulated by a king pin in a socalled fifth wheelarrangement located upon the tractor adjacent the rearward pair oftractor whee1s,which are the drivers. A

The dolly is located at a forward part of the trailer for adjustmentonly in the vertical longi` tudinal plane, and its purpose is to providetemporary support for the trailer soy that the latter may be unhitchedfrom the tractor as during loading, unloading and 'other standbyperiods, so

. as to release the'tractor for service at the time with other similartrailers. A

General objects of the present invention are to o provide an inexpensivereliable dolly arrangement for such purpose.

Particularly an object of the invention is to provide an arrangementpermitting maximum possible forward location of the dolly in supportingposition, so that more of the trailer load will be carried by the rearwheels of the trailer and less load by the dolly than has heretoforebeen accomplished in the art, whereby the dolly may be of less weightthan heretofore.

0 Theinvention contemplates a supporting location of the dolly relativeto the trailer load, substantially the same as that of the tractor fifthwheel when the trailer is hitched to the tractor, and a further objectof the invention is to provide 5 in a novel and simplified manner formovement of the dolly upon the trailer between such supporting positionand a travelling position wherein the dolly is out of the Way of thetractor. Still a further object is to provide for automatic movement ofthe dolly between such positions, responsive to relative couplingmovement between tractor and trailer,both for labor saving advantagesand for safety in case of accidental uncoupling or` l breakage at thehitch.

5 An important feature of the invention is means for automatically andpositively locking the dolly in supporting position, and for automaticrelease of the locking means responsive to engagement by the tractor.Another important novel feature .isy arrangement for movement of thedolly to travellingposition and support thereof in such position,directly by thetractor.Y

The rexact nature of this invention together with further objects andadvantages thereof will i be apparent from the following descriptiontaken in connection with the accompanying drawings, in which Figs. 1 and2 are side and rear elevations respectively of the dolly embodying theinvention, locked in supporting position; Figs. v3 and 4 are l sectionaldetails as in the planes of lines 3 3 and 4-4 respectively, in Figs. 1and 2; Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are sequential views in side elevation,illustrating the manner of automatic actuation of the dolly by thetractor as will appear.

With reference now to the drawings and first 6 to Figs. 1 to 4 thereof,A represents generally a forward portion of a trailer vehicle facingtoward the left in Fig. l, having a king pin a and such suitable frameand body members as indicated or necessary. Y 10 The dolly may beconsidered as having three principal parts, a main unit, and controlmeans for the main unit and including means for locking the unit insupporting position.

The main unit is mounted upon the trailer for l5 swinging movementbetween a generally upright supporting position and a generallyhorizontal travelling position, about an axis closely adjacent that ofthe king pin a. As shown the main unit comprises a pair of tubularcolumn members I, each connected at one end to the trailer A as by a pin2 carried by 'suitable brackets 3, the pins 2 being disposedtransversely of the vehicle in alignmentwith each other. The oppositeends of the column members I are interconnected by an axle member 4carrying wheels,5. The column members I arepreferably made adjustable asto length, as telescopically, as illustrated in the drawings, so that bysuitable selection of openings for the bolts 6 the main unit may haveadjust- 30 ment dependent'upon the height of the tractor whichis toserve the trailer vehicle. It will be apparent that the main unitdescribed may be swung about the axis of the pins 2 between thesupporting position illustrated in Figs.` 1 and 2, r35 rearwardly of thetrailer, counterclockwjse in Fig.

1 to a horizontal position upon the trailer.

For locking of the main unit in supporting position, pairs of togglelinks 1 of equal length are' associated with each column I. Each pair of40 links includes a lower link pinned to its column member I as at 8, anupper link connected to a bracket 9 mounted on the trailer frame A, asby pin I0, a pin IIr interconnecting the links to `form the knucklejoint of the toggle. The links are preferably of such length as topermit swinging of the main unit to a position somewhat for- `ward ofthe vertical, in supporting position of the unit, as illustrated in Fig.1, so that the load supported upon the dolly will not tend to move themain unit toward travelling position.

the toggles, yieldably urging them toward straightened position andconsequently yieldably urging the dolly toward supportingposltion; andwhen the dolly is in supporting position as illustrated in Fig. 1, thesprings will yielda'bly maintain the toggles forwardly slightly beyondstraightened position.

Stops I4 are arranged on the columns I to fix such forward positioningof the toggle knuckles, whereby when the parts are positioned asin Fig.1 the main unit of the dolly will be positively locked against motion ineither direction about its pins 2.

Means are provided for breaking the toggle' joints to unlock the mainunit from supporting position, for moving the main unit rearwardly totravelling position, and for there supporting the main unit-allautomatically through engagement by a tractor.

Such means comprises a member IB preferably of substantial area asindicated, mounted between the column members I, adjacent its lower edgeby a transverse member I6, and adJacent its upper edge by a transversemember I1. The lower member I6 has hinged connection with the columnmembers I as indicated at Ita. and the upper member I'I has connectionwith the stops I4 as Iby saddle members IIaextending about thecorresponding column members I. Thus the member I5 is effectivelymountedfor fore-and# aft movement upon the mainy unit about thetransverse axis defined by the parts at Ita, such movement being limitedforwardly by engagement of the stops I4 with their columns I andrearwardly by engagement of the saddles IIa with such Vcolumn members.Preferably such movement is adjustable, as by selective positioning ofthe saddle members Ila upon the member Il by bolts I'Ib for which aselective series of openings are provided in the member I1 as indicatedin Figs. 1 and`4.

The -proportioning, arrangement and adjustment of the parts is such thatmovement of the member I5 rearwardly will move the stops I4 against thetoggles to break the joints of the latter, and location of the member I5is such that it will be engaged by a rearward par-t of a tractor, suchas the extremity of the tractor i'i ame. l

Such tractor is indicated generallyat AB in Figs. 5, 6 and 7, and the-tractor fifth wheel apparatus includes the usual tilting plate bmounted for turning motion about a vertical axis, recessed and otherwisearranged to receive, position, and lock the king pin a of the ltrailerfor coupling between the vehicles, the tilting plate b being balanced asby gravity to a rearwardly tilting dsposition so as to actas a cam -toraise the forward end of the trailer as the tractor backs into coupledposition relative thereto,-all as common practice in the art.

The trailer A has a part IB rigidly ,associated wSth its frame andextending forwardly suflciently to transfer the load of the forwardtrailer end from the dolly onto the tilting plates b of -the tractor,before the tractor engages the member I5 of the dolly, so that thedolly, remains in locked positionuntil all of the load of the forwardend of the trailer has been assumed by the tractor as illustrated inFig. 5.

Assuming the parts, therefore, positioned as in Fig. 5, the dolly beinglocked in supporting posithe dolly to travelling position and there theforarmoireA tion but without carrying any of the trailer load, continuedrearward motion of the tractor B will move the member I6 rearwardly andcause the stop members I4 to break the icints of the toggle members l.

'Continued rearward motion of the tractor against the trauer will causethe member" to move the'mainunit of the dolly with it, rear- -wardly andupwardly to the travelling position illustrated in Fig. 7, the member Ilthen having a forward portion resti-ng upon the rearward portion of thetilting plate b of the tractor so that the dolly is ,maintained in suchtravelling position` supported directly upon the tractor.

' The front face of the member I5 engageable by the tractor will beobserved 'as contoured for the purposes described, with a recessedportion -above a projecting portion when the dolly is in supportingposition, so that the tractor may cam ward portion of the member I5which supports vthe dolly will lie on the tilting plate b of the tractorrearwardly of the trailer block a' which has a load-bearing face aboutthe king pin a.

In travelling position the parts of the dolly are maintained againstrattling rby the springsY I2 which are then under their maximum tension.

Automatic movement of the dolly from supporting to travelling positionhaving beendef scribed, it will be apparent that in unccupling at thetractor, the dolly will similarly automatically resume supportingposition, the springs I2 assisting gravity in the early stages oftheopera@ tion, moving the main dolly unit somewhat forward of verticalposition and there locking it by the toggles in supporting position-allbefore the trailer -load istransferred from the tractor onto the dolly.

It will be evident that similar automatic operation would follow werethe tractor accidental- 4,

ly unhitched or were a breakage to occur in the coupling mechanism.

What we claim is: Y l. A support for a trailer comprising a main unitmounted onsaid trailer for movement be- 4 tween supporting andtravelling positions, means associated with said unit for locking theunit in said supporting position, anda member pivotally supported onsaid main unit and adapted to cooperate with said locking means tounlock5.

said unit, from said supporting position when said member is moved byengagement with a tractor part, and arranged to thereafter rest upon afifth wheel part of said tractor when said trailer` is coupled to thetractor, to provide said unit support.

2. A suport for a trailer adapted formovement toV retracted andsupportingpositions and including a member pivoted at one end to'saidtrailer, toggle means connected to said member 6 and to said trailer,means to operate said toggle comprising a member pivoted to, said firstmember near the lower end thereof, toggle engaging means on said secondmember, and means carried by said second member adapted to be ene gagedby a rigid object so constructed and arranged to swing said secondmember about its pivot to break the toggle and to thereafter serve as ameans to retain said support in retracted position. 7

ARTHUR P. ARMINGTON.`

WALTER F. DOUBLE.

